The Soviet Army's High Commands in War and Peace, 1941-1992

The war on the Eastern Front during 1941-45 was an immense struggle, necessitating the creation of five high commands to control operations. However, their effectiveness was limited by Stalin's interference and the unfavourable strategic situation. The high commands were abolished in mid-1942 and replaced by supreme command representatives, with the Far Eastern High Command being established in 1945 and briefly resurrected in 1947. New high commands were created in Europe and South Asia in 1979, but they did not long survive the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

Format: Hardback
Length: 480 pages
Publication date: 15 June 2022
Publisher: Casemate Publishers

The war on the Eastern Front, spanning from 1941 to 1945, was an immense and grueling struggle that stretched from the Barents Sea to the Caucasus Mountains. The vast distances involved necessitated the Soviet political-military leadership to employ innovative organizational strategies to effectively control operations along the extended front. These strategies included the establishment of high commands, responsible for managing two or more fronts (army groups) and, in the case of maritime axes, one or more fleets.

In total, five high commands were created along the strategic directions of the Northwestern, Western, Southwestern, and North Caucasus during 1941-42. However, the highly unfavorable strategic situation during the war's first year, coupled with Stalin's interference in day-to-day operations, severely limited the effectiveness of these high commands. As a result, they were abolished in mid-1942 and replaced by a more flexible system of supreme command representatives at the front.

One notable example of this shift was the establishment of the High Command of Soviet Forces in the Far East in 1945. This command was responsible for overseeing the Red Army's highly successful campaign against Japanese forces in Manchuria. The Far Eastern High Command was briefly resurrected in 1947 in response to the tense situation along the Korean peninsula and the ongoing civil war in China. However, it was abolished in 1953, shortly after Stalin's death.

The recreation of the Far Eastern High Command in 1979 was a result of growing tensions with China. This command was followed a few years later by the appearance of new high commands in Europe and South Asia. However, these new high commands did not long survive the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 and were abolished a year later.

This book, written by a team of experts, is the first unclassified treatment of the subject of high commands in the Eastern Front during World War II. It relies almost exclusively on Soviet and post-communist archival and other sources, providing a comprehensive and detailed account of these critical military organizations. The book is a valuable resource for scholars, military historians, and anyone interested in understanding the complexities of the war on the Eastern Front.

Dimension: 228 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781952715105